The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) has discovered an altar and associated offerings outside the Tula Archaeological Zone in Hidalgo.
The discovery was made during archaeological salvage work being carried out as part of the Mexico City–Querétaro Passenger Train project. The remains of the monument, which date to the Tollan phase (AD 900–1150), will contribute to a better understanding of the urban layout of the Toltec capital.
During archaeological salvage work along the route of the Mexico City–Querétaro Passenger Train, conducted by the Ministry of Culture of the Government of Mexico, specialists from INAH discovered a momoztli, or altar. This find will help improve understanding of the urban layout of Tula, the ancient capital of the Toltecs.
The Secretary of Culture of the Government of Mexico, Claudia Curiel de Icaza, highlighted that the discovery confirms the importance of preventive archaeological work in protecting, studying and preserving key vestiges of the nation’s history.
“Each discovery like this expands our knowledge of one of the great civilisations of Mesoamerica and reinforces a central conviction of our cultural policy: Mexico’s archaeological heritage is the memory of our peoples, and the State assumes responsibility for investigating, safeguarding and transmitting it to present and future generations,” she said.
The remains likely correspond to the Tollan phase of the ancient metropolis (AD 900–1150). They were found near the area known as Tula Chico, within the Tula Archaeological Monument Zone, approximately 300 metres from the site’s perimeter wall. The find was made during survey and excavation work within the right of way of Front 5, at a location identified as Site 17 (Tula), in the municipality of Hidalgo.
The project’s archaeological salvage coordinator, Víctor Francisco Heredia Guillén, reported that the altar measures approximately one metre on each side. Its construction features a base of dressed stone and appears to have consisted of at least three low, step-less sections. The first section comprises a quarry stone base, likely made of andesite, with outer blocks no more than 10 centimetres thick. The second section includes modular slabs of the same material, while the upper part is finished with river stones and basalt.
“In a one-square-metre test pit, we immediately detected a compacted layer. As we extended the excavation, we uncovered one corner of the altar and subsequently the other vertices,” explained Emmanuel Hernández Zapata, chief field archaeologist for Front 5.
On three sides of the altar’s lower level, offerings of human skeletal remains were found, including four skulls and long bones, likely femurs. It is hypothesised that similar remains may also be present on the fourth side. Additional finds include ceramic vessels (a black bowl with another placed inside it), obsidian fragments and blades.
At the base of the altar, two skulls were found—one facing upwards and the other oriented southwest. Beneath a compacted stucco layer, possibly made of lime and sand, archaeologists uncovered two additional incomplete skeletons along with further vessels.
Heredia Guillén noted that it is unlikely complete skeletons will be found, as only selected body parts may have been offered in ritual sacrifice. The remains will be analysed at the project’s physical anthropology laboratory in the State of Mexico to determine age, sex, bone pathologies and possible evidence of decapitation. One skull appears to remain attached to part of the spine.
“Although metalworking was already known in the Postclassic period, decapitations here were still carried out using obsidian or flint knives, which leave distinctive cut marks on bone,” he explained.
Remains of walls were also discovered, with foundations located in the first layer of compacted earth. This suggests the altar was positioned at the centre of a courtyard. “We believe these may have been rooms within an elite context, possibly remnants of palatial structures. We know that the outskirts of Tula included neighbourhoods of upper and middle classes, with commoner areas located further away,” Hernández added.
The team has already produced drawings and drone imagery, which will be digitised to enable detailed study and careful removal of artefacts. Ceramic materials will be sent to a specialised laboratory in Tepeji del Río de Ocampo, Hidalgo, for conservation and analysis. Conservation options for the altar itself are currently under evaluation.
The discovery, made in recent weeks, also includes scattered ceramic, lithic and malacological materials, which will be analysed to identify species. Additional items such as spindle whorls, bone awls and knives—objects associated with daily life—were also recovered.
Sources : INAH